My next mead -- planning it out

[Jim H]

It's not "hard" to put stuff in or take it out. It's easy to get samples out. But, I have found that putting the samples back in the carboy has a tendency of making bubbles, and maybe providing more oxygen than I would like to the batch. In general, I am getting the idea that its best to keep sample-taking to a minimum.

I'm thinking of trying BDC DYF method: http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14437

 

[WVMJack]

Those bubbles are probably CO2 not oxygen. WVMJ

 

[Chevette Girl]

And even if you do get a small amount of oxygen entrainment when you're pouring a sample back in, if it's still fermenting or degassing, you're perfectly safe, the amount of carbon dioxide coming out of the must will protect it from oxygen. Don't be afraid to take readings, as long as you follow sanitary practices, it won't hurt your must. My favourite way is to drop a sanitized hydrometer into a sanitized wine thief, draw some sample into the thief, and take the measurement right in the thief, then activate the valve at the bottom to release the sample quietly back into the carboy.

 

[Jim H]

And even if you do get a small amount of oxygen entrainment when you're pouring a sample back in, if it's still fermenting or degassing, you're perfectly safe, the amount of carbon dioxide coming out of the must will protect it from oxygen. Don't be afraid to take readings, as long as you follow sanitary practices, it won't hurt your must. My favourite way is to drop a sanitized hydrometer into a sanitized wine thief, draw some sample into the thief, and take the measurement right in the thief, then activate the valve at the bottom to release the sample quietly back into the carboy.

I think it will be easier to return samples with my new 3 gallon carboys. But, with my 1-gals, the opening is too small to finesse pouring it back in, and a wine thief won't fit. With the batch I am most concerned with -- a batch about a month away from bottling -- it is past it's vigorous fermentation and degassing. It is in a 1-gal, and still fermenting slowly at this point. I'd rather not futz with it.

On the other hand, I am trying out the bottom-feeding method with the new batch in primary. I am taking pictures of the process.
http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php?p=211166#post211166

 

[WVMJack]

You are missing a critical piece of meadmaking equipment, the turkey baster, a nice easily cleaned suction device that easily gets into those pesky narrow gallon jugs. It can be taken apart and easily cleaned with KM and your sample returned. Everyone has gallon batches setting around for experiments and if you dont put the sample back in then we would all end up with a quart of mead at the end And funnels cant be much easier to clean and use to put you mead back into the bottle, we all do it with these small batches, I think you are putting to many worries in there. WVMJ

 

[Jim H]

Got the turkey baster. That's what I use to take samples out with. Got the funnels. That wasn't my concern. I think I do sanitation pretty well -- no issues so far, and I try to be as thorough as possible. Oxidation was the worry. I noticed that when I used the turkey baster to remove a sample it usually got some air mixed in with it. Then, when returning it to the carboy, samples get more air mixed in with it.

So, being a good n00bie, I was trying to avoid getting air in there, just as good advice has been given to me. I have read and been told that after the initial fermentation, air in the mead is a bad thing. Most of it reads along the lines of "avoid getting any oxygen in there, manipulate it as little as possible".

I am willing to change my ways! But, I'd like to know the limitations on how much air is bad, and I find it confusing. The batch in question is well along, has been transferred twice since mid April, and is most certainly in its final weeks in the carboy at 0.993 (or lower, by now).